The Trilogy of Drake DuCain
by Ladynero
Summary: My take on Drake DuCain and the first Invasion of the Saurian Overlords. Originally a trilogy, now in one volume.


Drake DuCain is the property of Disney along with the Wraith and Saurian   
Race, but all the other characters were born in my imagination. Now on with  
the story.  
  
  
The Trilogy of Drake DuCain  
  
Book One: Invasion of the Saurian  
By: Tazura Avey  
  
Drake DuCain smiled as he pulled his ice sled to a stop in front of  
his home and leaped off, sliding his way across the slick sidewalk. Winters  
on Andromeda were always fun for ice skaters of all ages since the planet  
seemed to turn into a ball of snow and ice and the only way anyone could get  
anywhere was on blades of some kind.  
Just as he was getting ready to open the front door, it burst open  
and Conrad, his best friend and co-renter, almost collided with him. "Whoa.  
Sorry, Drake," apologized Conrad, his brown eyes twinkling. "I didn't see  
you."  
Drake smiled. "Well, then I guess you didn't see these," teased the  
younger duck, dangling his keys to the ice sled in front of Conrad's beak.  
Conrad's dark brown feathers bristled slightly as his eyes assumed a pained  
expression and Drake laughed. "Try not to wreck it." He slapped the keys in  
Conrad's hand and punched him in the shoulder.  
"Oh, by the way, " began Conrad. "Red's in the kitchen, waiting for  
you." He patted his friend's shoulder as he passed and Drake winced at sore  
muscles from his hockey game. Drake watched as Conrad tore off down the ice  
covered street and shook his head as he closed the door behind him. Drake  
walked as far as the living room before he collapsed on the couch, beak  
first, and sighed in relief as some of his sore muscles stopped protesting.  
Suddenly, he felt the couch shift under him and a pair of hands began  
massaging the tension out of his back. "That feels great, Redfire," he said,  
beginning to fall asleep under her magical hands. "I didn't think that guy  
had checked me into the boards that hard, but my back says something else."  
"You keep getting beat up like this and one day, you just might end up  
with a crushed backbone." Redfire retorted with a snort. "Besides, I thought  
the goalie didn't get smashed into the boards."  
Drake chuckled weakly. "We don't unless you happen to skate past a  
furious player from the other team," he replied, looking over his shoulder  
at her. Her light green hair complemented her ruby eyes and peach complexion  
and she shook her head in exasperation, her hair fanning out around her with  
the motion.  
"What is it with guys and injuries?" Redfire asked no one in  
particular as she stood up. She held out her hand and Drake slid his into  
hers before she pulled him up off the couch. He grimaces as a few muscles  
protested to his moving but he ignored them and followed Redfire into the  
kitchen where a pair of mugs filled with hot chocolate awaited them.  
As Redfire sipped her mug, she reached over and flipped on the  
television just as the news came on. "There have been several reports of   
strange objects spotted in our galaxy," announced the anchorwoman, her dark  
eyes filled with fear as she read the report. "Astronomers are baffled and  
can offer no explanation for the objects or even what the objects are. In  
other news..."  
Drake saw the worried look on Redfire's face and switched off the TV.  
"Don't worry," he soothed, gathering her in his arms. "Those 'objects' are  
probably nothing more than asteroids that broke free of the Belt and when  
they get in range of the cannons, the military will blast them out of the  
sky before they can become a threat to Andromeda."  
"I hope so," murmured Redfire with a shiver. They stood in each  
other's arms for a long time.  
  
Meanwhile, on the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy, a fleet of spacecraft  
sat, waiting for their orders from Dagodevas, Supreme Warlord and Head  
Sorcerer of the Saurian War Fleet. He stood ten feet tall with dark gray   
scales under black body armor and on the end of his fingers were wickedly  
curved talons as spikes decorated his tail. His head resembled a triceratops's  
except his eyes were cold and calculating and his mouth wasn't beak shaped  
but more like a tyrannosaurus's, full of sharp, vicious looking teeth.  
There was a cloud of smoke and a young sorcerer stood there in pale  
gray robes that matched his scales with a straight wooden staff in one hand.  
Out of his head curved a pair of sharp horns and he bowed before Dagodevas.  
"You summoned me, Master?" groveled the young sorcerer.  
"I want you to stay beside me during our little mission, Wraith,"  
ordered Dagodevas, not bothering to look at the new arrival. "There is much  
you can learn at this stage in your training." The Wraith stood off to one  
side on the bridge. "We will reach our first target in a little under a year  
their time and halfway there, you will help me cloak the fleet from  
detection." The Wraith nodded and smiled as chilling laughter echoed through  
the room.  
  
The winter passed quickly on Andromeda, much to Drake's disgust, and  
the following summer, Drake and Redfire were married with Conrad as Drake's  
best man. Instead of going out and finding a new house, Redfire just moved  
into Drake's room and they split the rent three ways. Summer flew by and   
autumn felt like it lasted only a week before the first ice storm of the   
winter season hit the planet.  
"It's strange," mused Redfire one winter day. "They've been having  
reports about those strange objects in our galaxy for the past year and then  
four months ago, all reports just stopped." She gazed across the table at  
Drake and Conrad as they finished their dinner. "Almost as if the objects  
vanished."  
Drake looked at Redfire, his brown eyes burrowing into her red ones.  
"Why are you obsessed with those objects?" he asked, curiosity and love  
evident in his eyes.  
"I just have a bad feeling," she replied, standing up and collecting  
the dishes. She deposited them in the sink and glanced at the guys with a  
mischievous smile. "I believe it's your turn to do the dishes." The two  
friends groaned good-naturedly when suddenly, explosions rocked the house and  
they raced to a nearby window. More explosions tore up the streets but the  
trio was unable to determine where the blasts came from.  
"Quick!" cried Drake. "To the basement!" They stumbled down the  
stairs and Conrad sealed the door behind them, plunging the cellar into  
darkness. There was a flare of light and Drake walked around the room  
lighting candles that were scattered around on various surfaces. Then, they  
curled up in a large blanket and waited for whatever was happening to stop.  
The explosions and tremors seemed to last for days and occasionally  
when there was a lull in the shaking, Drake and Redfire would emerge from  
their hiding place and gather up clothes, food, and anything else they might  
need in the future. When everything finally stopped, Conrad eased open the  
door and slipped out only to reappear minutes later.  
"There appears to be some type of huge robot patrolling the street  
and herding a line of people towards something," he reported, his dark eyes  
full of fear and a small note of panic in his voice. "What are we going to  
do?"  
Drake stood up and grabbed a large backpack. "The first thing you're  
going to do Conrad, is calm down," he ordered with a stern look. "I don't  
need a hysterical duck on my hands. The next thing we're going to do is  
gather up all the supplies we can carry and get out of here before those giant  
robots find us." Redfire began packing another backpack with food and clothes  
and even managed to squeeze in a medical kit.  
Drake slung his pack on and scooped up his ice skates, tying his  
roller blades to his pack. "Grab your skates," he said. "We'll probably be  
able to make better time on blades and wheels than on foot. Plus, the ground  
outside is still covered with ice." His two friends followed his lead and  
they crept upstairs with their skates in their hands. Creeping to the window,  
Drake peeked out and instantly fell flat, motioning for Conrad and Redfire  
to do the same. A robot's head appeared in the glass and seemed to be  
searching for anyone that was still alive. When it failed to find the trio,  
it moved on to the next house and Redfire breathed a sigh of relief.  
"We have to be careful," stated Conrad. "If those things have  
sophisticated sensors, then we could be sitting targets."  
Drake glances at the other two. "I promise you that I will do  
everything in my power to keep both of you safe until these things are  
gone," he vowed. "If that takes the rest of my life, so be it." He peered  
out the window and nodded. "The sun's setting. We should be able to move   
about more freely after full dark."  
"Where will we go?" whispered Redfire, her voice laced with fear. "I  
mean the first thing these robots probably took out was all of the military  
bases and enslaved the solders."  
Drake smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Brotherhood of the Blade?"  
he inquired. Conrad and Redfire gasped, their eyes large. "I heard of a   
secret hideout of theirs and maybe we can offer our skills to them in  
exchange for a place to stay. Tonight, we'll make our way to their  
hideout." They nodded and settled down to wait for nightfall.  
A few hours later, three shadows slipped out of the house and skated  
off down the street before any of the robots noticed them. They continued  
for several blocks, ducking into abandoned buildings and alleys whenever   
the looming figure of a robot appeared. When they had gone about half a  
mile, they dodged into an abandoned warehouse, and Drake glanced out as a  
legion of smaller robots marched down the street with glowing red eyes  
searching the area.  
"All clear," whispered Drake, already heading out to the street.  
Redfire and Conrad were close behind him as they continued down the street.  
They skated through the night, dodging both types of robots and when  
the sun peeked over the horizon, Drake led them into a tunnel that lead  
under ground. "We should be safe down here for the day," he said as they   
made themselves comfortable on the hard packed dirt floor. "But just to be  
on the safe side, we'll sleep in shifts with one person up. I'll go first,  
then Conrad, and Redfire will finish up the day." Redfire and Conrad curled  
up in their blankets before drifting off to sleep with Drake sitting with  
his back against the wall, watching the weak sunlight that filtered through  
cracks in the ceiling.  
I hope Count didn't lie to me when he told me about this hideout,  
thought Drake, digging through his pack for something to eat. He shook his  
head. he never lied to me and I have to trust my brother in a time like  
this. Sighing, he placed an old tachyon blaster across his legs and waited  
for his shift to end.  
For several days, the trio continued traveling at night and hiding  
out during the day to avoid the strange robots. They met a few people that  
joined them; Tina, a military expert who had escaped before her base was   
destroyed; John, a mechanic; and Lori, a scientific genius with a knack for  
machines. Tina had filled them in on what she had heard before the invasion.  
"They're called Saurians," she said, one day while they were hiding.  
"Their leader is Dagodevas, a warlord and sorcerer. They're using their  
Dark Powers to hide their ships. The large robots are monitor towers while  
the smaller ones are the hunter drones."  
"Is there any way to neutralize their powers?" asked Drake, a look of  
intense concentration on his face.  
Tina shrugged, brushing a lock of blond hair out of her blue eyes. "I  
don't know of any, but that doesn't mean that there isn't one," she replied  
before curling up in her blanket. The odd group managed to make it to a  
cave in the surrounding hills in under a week and they made a blockade  
across the entrance with boulders.  
"Okay. Now what?" demanded John, brushing dust off his brown feathers.  
Drake shrugged. "Now we wait," he stated, getting settled down.  
Redfire glanced around at their supplies and sighed. "If we're going to  
be waiting here for a while, I need to find more food," she stated, standing  
up. Tina and Lori joined her and the trio crept past the blockade, vanishing  
into the bushes in search of food. Conrad, Drake and John began setting up  
camp and when the women returned a few hours later, the interior of the  
cave resembled a well organized camp.  
"Nice," remarked Lori with a smile. "But where do the women sleep?"  
Redfire smiled at the raven haired duck. "Well, since Drake and I are  
married, I know where I'm going to be sleeping," she stated in an offhanded  
manner. Lori just rolled her eyes and spread her blanket out beside Conrad's  
before getting busy dressing the rabbits that she had caught. Conrad sat   
down next to her and picked up the skins, carrying them out to the blockade.  
There he at down and began dressing the skins, stretching them across the  
rocks where they would dry in the sun. When he was done, he nodded and  
returned to help prepare dinner. Lori raised a surprised eyebrow but handed  
him the carcasses when she was done with them.  
"Where did you learn how to do all of this?" she inquired, her black  
eyes filled with curiosity.  
Conrad shrugged. "I use to go hunting with my father when I was  
younger," he replied with a small smile. "I haven't hunted in years but the  
little tricks Dad taught me seem to be coming back."  
She leaned closer to him. "What else did your dad teach you?" she  
whispered in a teasing voice.  
"Maybe I'll show you everything one day," he murmured in her ear. Lori  
smiled and they continued working on dinner.  
Drake and Redfire smiled at this exchange and she snuggled closer to  
him. "So how long do we wait?" she inquired, her red eyes twinkling.  
He shrugged. "Count didn't say," he said with a far off look on his  
face. Redfire glanced up at Drake but her lips froze at the hopeful look on  
his face. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and dozed off.  
  
Dagodevas stood in his tower and smiled at the plumes of smoke rising  
from the cities. All the ducks that could be found were toiling away in the  
mines and factories, constructing ships and drones for his conquest of this  
galaxy. There had been a few attempts to fight back but his sorcerers  
quickly destroyed all resistance. The Wraith was one of the best in finding  
and crushing those that opposed him.  
Behind him, a cloud of smoke appeared and the Wraith's thin form  
became visible. "You wished to see me, Master?" he inquired. Dagodevas  
turned and instantly spotted the new decoration on the Wraith's staff; the  
skull of a duck. Probably one of those that fought back, mused the High  
Sorcerer.  
"There is a rumor going through the work groups about a possible group  
of trouble makers," mused Dagodevas, watching his protegee. "They call  
themselves the Brotherhood of the Blade and their leader is the Guardian. I  
want you to find them and bring this Guardian to me. I want to deal with him  
personally." He waved his hand. "Now go." The Wraith bowed and vanished in a  
cloud of smoke, off to carry out his orders. Dagodevas turned back to the  
window and continued watching Andromeda.  
  
John turned to face Drake. "When is this supposive Brotherhood going  
to show up?" snarled the smaller duck in frustration. "We've been here for  
almost a month and we haven't seen a soul except for those mental monsters."  
Drake sighed. This was an old argument now and patience were waring  
thin. "All I know is that if I ever needed help, to show up here and wait,"  
he repeated. "I'm not their leader and can't even guarantee that they WILL  
show up. Look at it this way; would you rather be out there, dodging the   
drones and towers, or here where we can at least sleep without jumping at  
every little noise."  
Suddenly, the ground began shaking and Lori raced back to where they  
had the weapons. "About a dozen drones are on their way here," she cried as  
she scooped up the blasters. Drake and John followed her up to the blockade  
and grabbed their blasters as Lori handed them out to the others.  
"Tina, any way to take them out fast?" Drake demanded, charging up his  
blaster.  
"If you aim for their knees, it sends them to the ground," the blond  
duck reported. "Then blast their heads before they can fire back." The  
others nodded and aimed their blasters through chinks in the rocks, waiting  
for the drones to come within range.  
As the drones began climbing up the hill to the cave, one blaster  
after another opened fire and slowly the drones were pushed back. A few of  
the drones fell to the ground where they exploded in a burst of flames, but  
far too many began advancing on the six ducks with their blaster firing back.  
"They're not stopping!" shouted Conrad over the noise. "What do we do  
now?"  
Drake smiled grimly. "Keep firing!" he ordered, in a tense voice. "And  
pray for a miracle."  
  
  
To Be Continued in "The Brotherhood of the Blade"  
  
  
Drake DuCain, the Wraith, and the Saurian Race are the property of Disney  
while the rest of the characters are born out of my imagination. This is the  
second book in the trilogy and unless you read "The Saurian Invasion"  
several items in this story might not make sense. This takes place minutes  
after the first one ends. Enjoy. E-mail me at sirnero@midohio.net and  
tell me what you think of the stories.  
  
  
The Trilogy of Drake DuCain  
Book Two: The Brotherhood of the Blade  
By: Tazura Avey  
  
The situation seemed hopeless but Drake DuCain would fight until the  
end. He had promised his wife, Redfire, and his best friend, Conrad, that he  
would protect them for the rest of his life and he had extended that promise  
to the other three ducks that had joined them since they left the city:  
blond Tina with her military prowess, dark Lori with the scientific  
awareness and knack for machines, and brown John, the mechanic who had been  
helping them keep their equipment in working order. Now, the six ducks were  
hiding in a cave with a blockade of boulders across the entrance and a group  
of hunter drones scrambling up the side of the hill.  
"We can't hold them off forever!" shouted Conrad over the noise of the  
battle. "We need help like yesterday!"  
Drake dropped three drones before being forced to duck behind his  
cover. "Tell me something I don't know!" he snarled, frustrated.  
Suddenly, there was movement at the bottom of the hill and several  
figures in dark clothes emerged from the bushes and opened fire on the  
drones. Caught in the crossfire, the drones were destroyed and more dark   
figures appeared, slowly moving up the hill. Drake stood up and slung his  
blaster over his shoulder and the others followed his example. As they  
approached, Redfire was able to make out about twenty individuals and leaned  
over to inform Drake of the number.  
"Do we fight or run?" whispered Lori, fingering her blaster.  
John snorted. "Get real," he said. "We're trapped in here and don't  
have anywhere to go."  
One figure stepped forward when the new arrivals were still a distance  
away. "Why are you here?" asked the figure in a deep voice.  
Drake climbed over the boulders and noticed that all the figures were  
wearing hoods over their faces. "We came here looking for help against the  
invaders," he replied. "I was told once that if I ever needed help, to come  
here and I would get it."  
"Who told you that?" demanded the figure, placing his hands on his  
hips.  
Drake smiled. "A man by the name of Count DuCain," he stated in a calm  
voice. "My brother." There was a startled murmur from the crowd on the hill  
and the spokesman nodded.  
"Come with us and you will have the help you seek," he said. Turning,  
he strolled back to where the others were waiting and the six ducks in the  
cave quickly gathered up their possessions before joining the group. Together  
the oddly mixed group descended the hill and strolled through the sparsely  
growing trees until they reached one tree with a huge trunk. One of their  
escorts knocked on the trunk and a section of the tree swung open. The dark  
clad figures escorted the six ducks through the opening and lead them down a  
dirt tunnel. Several minutes later, they were deep underground and the only  
light came from torches set in the wall every few feet. As their eyes  
adjusted to the dimmer light, Drake was able to make out several tunnels   
that lead off from the main tunnel as well as other shadows lurking in the  
darkness.  
After some time, Drake was completely lost in the darkness and  
just when he thought that they would never reach their destination, the  
group emerged in a large cavern that appeared to be the main gathering hall.  
Tables were scattered around the room and more people than even Redfire  
could count lounged either at the tables or against the walls.  
"They're in perfect positions if we turn out to be a threat," Tina  
whispered to Drake. He nodded and noticed that they were being lead to three  
figures and decided that the center figure was the leader of the  
Brotherhood. The figure was definitely a female, but she was wrapped in a  
tight cloak that concealed her face from the light. His suspicions proved to  
be accurate when one of their guides whispered in her ear and she approached  
the six ducks.  
"So you are the brother of Count DuCain," she said in a voice that had  
a slight purring sound to it. "What do you want from me and the  
Brotherhood?"  
Drake placed his hands on his hips and stared right into the shadow  
that hid the woman's face. "Simple," he replied. "We are willing to offer  
you our services in exchange for a safe place to stay where we can be sure  
these invaders won't capture us for their chain-gangs." He shrugged.  
"Unless, I'm mistaken and you don't want our experience or talents. If  
that's the case, then we'll try our luck on our own."  
There was stunned silence in the cave before the figure threw her head  
back and laughed. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, her cloak fell to a  
heap around her ankles and a startled gasp came from the six ducks. The  
person standing before them was a smoky gray feline in a lavender bodysuit  
with a type of armor over it. Her ears rose out of a mane of hair that was  
so black, it made the darkest night possible seem like a sunny day and her  
hands rested on a belt around her waist that held a bracer full of daggers.  
She strolled over to the group with a hip-rolling walk that made her seem  
even more dangerous than the people scattered around the cavern.  
"You have guts," she remarked with her ears twitching in amusement. "I  
have need of someone with guts. I am Guardian and who are your friends,  
Drake DuCain?"  
Drake gestured to each of his companions as he named them and told of  
their talents. When he was done, he noticed several of the occupants of the  
cavern had stripped out of the black suits to reveal outfits that looked   
like they had been pieced together out of whatever could be found at the   
time.  
Guardian also noticed his gaze and held out her hand. "Come, I'll take  
you to your quarters for the duration of your stay," she said in her musical  
voice. "After you get cleaned up and eat something, we'll discuss how you  
can help us."  
The six ducks followed her down another hallway and she gestured to  
doors as they passed. Conrad was next to Drake and Redfire, who were in the  
same room, while Tina, Lori, and John were a few doors down the way. After  
Guardian left them, the new arrivals quickly freshened up and grabbed food  
out of their packs before assembling in the hall where they were lead to a  
smaller cavern. The cavern was obviously a strategy room because there were  
maps and plans of the robots and weapons scattered around and attached to  
the walls. Guardian was bending over a map spread out on the only table and  
there were two other ducks standing there. One was white with a jagged scar  
running over one eye and the other was black with silver eyes.  
"You can't be serious, Shadow," Guardian told the black duck. "Is that  
your best idea?" She turned and motioned Tina closer. "Tina, this is Shadow  
and Mark. Since you're a military expert, may be you can shed some light on  
this situation." Tina and Drake crowded around the table as Guardian  
gestured to the map as she explained. "There is a supply depot that is being  
guarded by twenty drones and two monitor towers. That means there is  
something in that depot that the head guy wants to keep very badly and we  
need to get it. Shadow's idea is a frontal attack to draw off the robots so  
a small group can sneak in and grab whatever it is they're guarding. The  
problem is he doesn't know how to get the team INSIDE out again."  
"Hockey," muttered Drake as he stared at the map. The other four  
looked at him with blank looks and he gestured to the map. "In hockey, you  
have a bunch of people trying to keep you away from your target and you have  
to figure out how to reach your target and get clear again before someone  
gets sore and decks you. This is the same thing except of playing for  
useless points, you're fighting for survival."  
Mark smiled. "Okay, than what's your play for getting into this target  
and getting out with our feathers intact?" he asked in an amused voice.  
"Simple," replied Drake, pointing to the map. "Station sharpshooters  
in nearby buildings that have easy access to the sewers and while they start  
destroying the drones, the small strike force comes UP into the building and  
grabs this thing and vanishes into the sewers again before anyone's the  
wiser. Then once the inside team is safely away, pull the sharpshooters away  
through the sewers and have them all meet somewhere safe."  
Guardian nodded. "A sound plan," she stated, glancing at Shadow.  
"Don't get your feather's ruffled. All he did was take your plan and  
improved it." She stood up. "Spread the word that we need sharpshooters and  
a group of people willing to sneak into a heavily guarded warehouse."  
After the two ducks left, Guardian turned to the six ducks. "Tina, you  
and Drake will help me plan and carry out attacks," she instructed. "John,  
we have a garage that is severely underhanded and your help would be  
welcomed. Lori, the weapons department could use your scientific know-how.  
Redfire, we are desperate for a good cook in the kitchen. Conrad, you can be  
a huge help in the attacks and bringing food."  
"Excuse me, Guardian," stated Redfire. "I was just wondering. I  
haven't seen many women around here."  
Guardian smiled gently. "Most of the women are on the lower levels,  
caring for the children," she replied. "We have families hiding down here  
and until the children are old enough to understand, their mothers usually  
stay with them. Don't get me wrong. They have the same training that the men  
do and so do the older children." She turned and lead them back to the main  
chamber.  
  
A few hours later, Drake gazed around at the small team he was leading  
into the warehouse and noticed that a couple of his troops were younger than  
he was, maybe not even out of their teens. Suddenly, his thoughts were  
interrupted by the ground above them shaking as the robots moved. He nodded  
to one of the people who was standing under a man hole cover and she  
carefully lifted it up. After making sure the coast was clear, the small   
attack force slipped into the warehouse and Drake motioned for three of them  
to protect their exit before motioning for the others to spread out.  
They searched around for several minutes before one of the groups  
found a large crate and the others gathered around. One of them grabbed a  
crow bar and pried the lid off of the crate. Inside, they found components  
for advanced machines and more powerful weapons.  
"Grab as much of this stuff as you can and get back into the sewers,"  
Drake ordered as he began scooping the components and weapons into his pack.  
The others started in on the pile and soon there was nothing left in the box  
but dust. Carefully, they replaced the lid and slipped back into the tunnels  
before easing the man hole cover back into place. A few minutes later, the  
sharpshooters pulled back and vanished into the shadows, leaving empty  
buildings to be stormed by drones.  
  
Over the seasons, Drake became exceedingly well known by everyone,  
either in the Brotherhood or rescued from the work gangs, and was often the  
one the drones fired on when he came into view. Dagodevas finally placed a  
reward large enough that all the sorcerers were out looking for him while  
Guardian and the Brotherhood faded into the background. Changes also began  
taking place inside the Brotherhood: Conrad and Lori got married and Guardian  
turned command of the Brotherhood over to Drake. The old tachyon blasters were  
replaced by puck launchers and electric sabers that John and Lori had created  
when tachyon became scarce in the tunnels. The body armor everyone was wearing  
was upgraded to protect its wearer from pucks and tachyon blasts and the   
training started to include several hockey plays as well as a game called  
"Seek and Evade". It was quite simple where the children would hide while their  
teachers searched for them and the ones that made it back to their "base"  
without being caught were the winners.  
One day, seven years after the Saurians invaded, Drake walked into Lori's  
workshop and rested his hands on his hips. "What did you need to see me for?" he  
inquired, his brown eyes curious.  
Lori brushed a raven lock out of her face as she turned around with what  
looked like a hockey mask in her hands. She held it out to him. "Here," she  
ordered, her black eyes twinkling. "Try this on and tell me what you think."  
Shrugging, he placed the mask against his face and was shocked when he felt  
it attach itself to his beak and feathers. He looked around the room and found  
his gaze tinted by a slight red glow.  
Lori picked up her scanner and pointed it at Drake. "Okay, now press your  
hands to the sides of the mask," she instructed, activating her scanner. Drake  
pressed the sides and gasped when Lori's skeleton became visible inside an outline  
of her body!  
He jerked the mask off his face and could only star as it shimmered from gold  
back to hockey white. "What is this thing?" he demanded, almost afraid to put it down.  
"Sorry," apologized the black eyes duck. "It's a sophisticated computer that  
can analyze, scan, and allow the wearer to track anything by it's energy trail. I'm  
pretty sure it can 'see' through that Cloak of Darkness Dagodevas has around his  
Master Tower." She glanced at her hand held scanner. "At least my projected readings  
on the mask check out indicating that it's safe to wear and use it."  
Drake smiled and placed the mask firmly on his face, slightly startled as it  
shimmered to it's golden color. "Why don't we test this in the fields?" he suggested,  
his eyes narrowing.  
  
A few hours later, Drake was crouched behind a ridge with Guardian, Redfire Conrad,  
Tina, and John. Ahead of them was an open field covered in a layer of snow and ice and  
John fingered his saber nervously.  
"What exactly are we doing out here in the middle of nowhere?' he demanded, his  
breath visible in the cold air.  
Drake pressed his hands to the side of the mask, causing the eyes to glow with an  
eerie red light. There was a shimmer in the air and the Master Tower became visible to his  
eyes. "We're going to send Dagodevas back to his home planet," he growled, climbing over  
the ridge and sliding down the hill. Behind him, the other five followed him down the  
hill with their puck launchers in one hand and their sabers on the other. As they slowly  
made their way across the field, one step, it was an empty field, and the next one, the  
Master Tower appeared and all the ducks froze as they stared at the huge monstrosity.  
Tina activated her saber and the emerald blade sprang out of the red hilt. "Let's not  
keep the Saurian Scum waiting," she said, her voice calm and steady. Drake nodded and they  
made their way across the field to the front entrance and the final show down with  
Dagodevas and the Saurian Sorcerers.  
  
  
To Be Continued In "The Price Of Freedom"  
  
This is the third and final story in the Drake DuCain trilogy. I hope you  
enjoyed them. Once again, Drake DuCain, Wraith, and the Saurian race are   
all the property of Disney while the rest of the characters and the plot   
are mine. Enjoy.  
  
The Price of Freedom  
By: Tazura Avey  
  
Drake DuCain slowly approached the Master Tower with Redfire,  
Guardian, Conrad, Tina and John close behind him. He knew that if one of   
the drones spotted them, they were as good as dead. Suddenly, a cracking s  
sound filled the air and he glanced behind him to discover the ice shattering  
under the group's feet. Before he could say anything, they plummeted into  
the snowy crevasse with frightened screams. They landed hard on a slide of  
ice and continued downhill towards the tower at an alarming speed.  
"Hang on!" shouted Drake, aiming his grappling hook at one of the  
walls and fired. The grappling hook bit into the ice and he flung out his  
had to catch the others. He snagged Redfire who grabbed Guardian and between  
those two, they stopped the other three duck's wild flight.  
"Is everyone all right?" gasped Tina, checking herself over for  
injuries.  
John shook his head. "Just a ringing in my ears when you screamed on  
our way down," he replied, glancing around. "Now what?"  
Redfire helped Drake stand. "Why don't we follow this tunnel until we  
reach the tower?" she asked. "That way, neither the sorcerers nor the drones  
will see us."  
Guardian smiled and unstrapped the skates from her battle pack. "Shall  
we get going?" she inquired, tying the blades to her feet. Minutes later,  
the small group was on its way once more to the Tower.  
  
The Wraith was in the dungeons, torturing some of his favorite victims  
when he heard the sounds of hushed voices echoing through the halls.  
There shouldn't be anyone down here at this time of night, he mused,  
gliding down the hallway with his Cloak of Darkness on to investigate. As he  
approached the voices, he suddenly sensed a magic user and dropped his Cloak  
just as five ducks and a feline came around the bend.  
"Drop him!" shouted the duck with a golden mask on his face, pointing  
to the Wraith.  
"I'm afraid not, my dear duck," chortled the Wraith, activating his  
Cloak again. To his surprise, the masked duck fired directly at him, even  
after he moved and so did the feline. Peering closer at the pair, he noticed  
that the eyes of the mask were glowing with a red light and the feline's   
eyes shimmered with green energy.  
The mask must somehow be able to penetrate my magic, concluded the  
Wraith, dropping his Cloak and hurling fireballs at the group. And the  
feline is a magic user. I had better report this to Lord Dagodevas. With   
that, he raised his arms above his head and in a cloud of smoke, vanished  
from the dungeons to reappear in Dagodevas's quarters.  
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?" demanded the sorcerer, smoke  
pouring out of his nose while green energy crackled around his hands.  
The Wraith bowed before the Overlord. "Forgive me, Master," groveled  
the younger Saurian. "But five ducks and a feline have entered the Tower."  
Dagodevas shrugged. "The drones and other sorcerers will take care of  
them," he replied with an indifferent shrug.  
"But the feline is a magic user and one of the duck's has a mask that  
sees through the Cloak of Darkness," announced the Wraith in a desperate   
voice. "I managed to escape with my life so I could inform you of the strike  
force."  
Dagodevas snarled. "Sound the alarm and spread the word to the  
others," he ordered, already heading for the huge crystal sphere set in the  
center of a wooden table. "Tell them that we have uninvited guests and then  
destroy these intruders." The Wraith bowed once more before vanishing to   
carry out his assignment.  
  
As they made their way through the dungeons, cheers rose up from  
several of the prisoners when they realized that help had arrived. Some  
started promising their help in defeating the Saurian scum while others  
begged to be let out.  
"Drake, we just can't leave these poor people here," stated Tina, her  
blue eyes hard as stones.  
Drake nodded. "Your right," he replied. "Tina, you and John start  
freeing the prisoners. The ones that want out, take them to the entrance   
while the others that want to fight, gather them in a group and try to find  
weapons. Then send them out against the drones." Tina and John got to work  
while Drake, Redfire, Conrad, and Guardian continued on their way through  
the dark halls of the Master Tower.  
When the quartet had scaled three levels, a squad of drones appeared  
with two sorcerers and the group opened fire with the strike force ducking  
for cover. Drake and Guardian managed to take the sorcerers out of action  
with a couple of bolo pucks while Redfire and Conrad destroyed the drones.  
After that, they began running into more and more opposition when  
reinforcements appeared in the form of the now armed prisoners. Once Tina  
and John had rejoined them, they began slicing their way through the  
Saurians' defenses until all that was left between them and Dagodevas was  
the Wraith and a pair of huge doors.  
"Well, well well. Look what we have here," John said, his hands on  
his hips. "If it isn't the Saurian cowered who ran away when we were  
fighting him in the dungeons." He began laughing, not noticing the fireball  
that appeared in the Wraith's hand.  
"Personally, I prefer my ducks roasted!" he snarled, heaving the  
fireball at John. Before John could react, the fireball hit him and he  
vanished with a scream.  
The air around Guardian began crackling with power and her lips were  
drawn back in a snarl as she raised her hands. "Young and foolish sorcerer/  
With much horror and fright/ Now become a withered being/ With half your   
original might!" she chanted, a lavender light engulfing the Wraith. Before  
the assembled ducks' eyes, the Wraith's figure became gaunt and thin while  
his robes turned into tattered forms of their original glory. Within a  
minute, the Wraith had aged until he was a shadow of his former self.  
Drake fired a bolo puck and the Wraith collapsed to the ground with  
his arms and twisted staff trapped at his sides. "Now let's free Andromeda!"  
snarled Drake, firing his puck launcher at the doors. The others added  
their firepower and the metal doors crashed to the floor with a huge thud.  
Cautiously, Tina, Conrad, Drake, Redfire, and Guardian crept into the  
room and before the others could join them, a steel wall slid out of the top  
of the doorway, cutting off their exit.  
"We're trapped!" cried Redfire, shoving her weight against the metal.  
Chilling laughter echoed through the empty room and the group formed a  
circle to protect their backs.  
"Foolish mortals," sneered a cold voice. "Do you honestly think you  
can defeat me?" In a flash of light, Dagodevas appeared, except this  
Dagodevas was thirty feet tall and breathing fire.  
"Body check!" ordered Drake, racing for Dagodevas. The other four  
slammed into Dagodevas with Drake and the sorcerer fell through the wall to  
the snowy field below. Using their grappling hooks, the ducks swung down to  
their fallen enemy as he shrunk to his normal size of ten feet.  
As Dagodevas staggered to his feet, Drake aimed his puck launcher at  
the Saurian. "Not so fast, lizard lips!" he growled. "You're not going any  
where except back under the rock you crawled out of."  
Dagodevas laughed. "I think not, foolish duck!" he jeered. Before  
anyone could stop him, the sorcerer fired a blast of energy that rammed  
Drake into the side of the Tower. When he hit, Drake felt his back breaking  
and everything went numb from his waist down. He collapsed to the snow and  
looked up horrified as Dagodevas loomed over him.  
"Now you will know the true meaning of the word 'fear', Drake DuCain!"  
hissed the Saurian as he lifted the hapless duck off the ground.  
"NO!!!" screamed Redfire, firing at Dagodevas. Her pucks loosened his  
grip on Drake and he tumbled to the ground, pulling himself across the snow  
as fast as his arms could take him. Conrad and Guardian rushed over and  
slung his arms across their shoulders before retreating a safe distance.  
"Conrad, here," gasped Drake, pulling the mask off of his face. "You  
have to defeat Dagodevas. My back's broken and I can't use my legs."  
His friend only smiled. "You're still our leader, Drake," he soothed.  
"A broken back won't change that." He shoved the mask back at Drake who  
reluctantly placed it back on his face. "Now, let's kick some tail!"  
Drake fired his puck launcher at Dagodevas while the others joined  
him. Tina, Guardian, and Redfire dashed in occasionally and slashed  
Dagodevas's armor with their sabers before dancing out of the way for the  
guys to blast him with pucks. Snarling, Dagodevas tried to defend himself  
against these multi-attacks but he was eventually drove to his knees just  
before Redfire launched a bolo puck at him.  
"You may have won the war, ducks," snarled Dagodevas as he levitated  
off the ground with dark energy crackling around his body. "But you lost   
your planet!"  
"Not on your life, Saurian!" screamed Drake, launching himself at  
Dagodevas with the last of his strength. As he landed on Dagodevas, the dark  
energy ripped through his body and he screamed in pain. Dagodevas laughed  
and waited for Drake to fall to the ground, but Drake grabbed hold of the  
robes and gritted his teeth against the pain.  
"You haven't learned, even after seven years, that we will not give up  
without a fight," growled Drake, punching Dagodevas in the face and sending  
both of them crashing to the ground. "Even if your kind ever comes back to  
Andromeda and enslaves the populous again, there will be those who will  
fight back with everything they have. Even if it means dying for their  
planet, because the price of freedom is never too expensive."  
"Brave words for someone who's about to die," sneered Dagodevas,  
releasing his Dark Powers on Andromeda. "From this day forth, this planet  
will be nothing but endless winter. The next time the snow and ice melts, it  
will be when the Saurians have returned for revenge!" He collapsed on the  
snow, laughing as his powers streaked off the planet and formed a belt of  
meteors that stretched out through space to loop partly around the planet.  
Suddenly, a lavender glow surrounded the rocks and they reshaped from hunks  
of rocks to huge hockey pucks.  
Back on Andromeda, the now freed ducks helped gather all of the  
Saurians in the middle of the snow covered field and tied them together in a  
chain gang. Then they began celebrating their independence from the  
Saurians. Suddenly, Drake's body spasmed and he fell from Redfire's arms to  
the ground. All celebrating stopped and they surrounded him with Redfire  
and Guardian by his side.  
"What's wrong with him, Guardian?" asked Redfire, her red eyes  
shinning with tears.  
Guardian shook her head. "It's the Dark Power that he absorbed when he  
grabbed Dagodevas," she replied, her ears drooping. "It's slowly killing   
him." She reached out and placed one hand on his chest and the other on his  
head before the familiar lavender glow surrounded both of them. Redfire  
held her breath and prayed that Guardian could help her husband before it  
was too late. She hadn't survived seven years of fighting only to loose him  
now when victory was theirs.  
After several minutes of silence, the light faded and Guardian bowed  
her head. "I've repaired the damage as best as I can," she replied as Drake  
opened his eyes and slowly sat up.  
"What happened?" asked Drake, holding his head in both hands. "It  
feels like Conrad used me for a punching bag."  
"Don't worry about it, love," soothed Redfire, throwing her arms  
around Drake.  
Guardian smiled at them. "I managed to repair you back, but  
unfortunately, you'll have to wear braces for the rest of your life unless  
you want to use a wheelchair," she said before standing up and walking over  
to the Saurians. "Drake DuCain, I promise that as long as I live and for   
the rest of my children's' lives, we will make sure the Saurians never harm  
another living creature on this planet. Farewell, my friends."  
A swirling blue and lavender vortex appeared above the group and Drake  
saluted Guardian before she vanished into the vortex with her charges. As  
soon as they were in the vortex, it closed, leaving no trace behind them.  
  
Epilogue  
  
Five years after the Saurians had been defeated, life on Puckworld,  
the new name of Andromeda, began to adjust to the new conditions that it had  
been left in. Animals who were unaccustomed to the harsh winter weather were  
moved into huge paddocks under domes where the temperature was kept high all  
year round with help from the sun. Winter clothes became the norm and hockey  
caught on like wildfire.  
Drake Bouvier and his wife, Red, settled down in Pakia with Conrad and  
Lori Blake moving into the hose next door. Less than a year later, Red had  
a son they named Wildfire. Even though Drake had to wear braces on his legs,  
he still managed to teach Wildfire how to be one of the better goalies among  
his friends.  
Years went by, and the name DuCain faded into legends as the populous  
of Puckworld soon forgot about the Saurian menace. When Drake and Red  
Bouvier died of old age, they were buried together in an intricately carved  
cave by Conrad and Lori. A white hockey mask was placed on a pedestal in the  
main chamber before Conrad sealed the doors as they left Twin Beaks.  
The Bouvier and Blake lines began drifting apart after the second  
generation. Then a millennium later, two young ducks meet in school and  
become good friends despite the fact that one duck's younger brother liked  
to hang around with them. One day, when they were older, the brother was   
talking about the Legend of Drake DuCain and when he was done, his older  
brother shrugged the story off by saying it was only a legend and the  
Saurians were long since defeated. Little did the trio know that the last  
of the Saurian Overlords had just broke out of his Dimensional Limbo prison  
and was coming for revenge.  
  
The End.  
  
  
Okay. How did you like it? Flames? Comments? Questions? Please e-mail me  
and I'll try to answer any and all mail as soon as I can. Thanks. 


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